Not Quite Ordinary Heroes
by Raziel12
Summary: In another world, Fang and Lightning don't meet until much later. Here is the story of how two single parents meet and fall in love. Some things are meant to be.


_Some people believe that there are countless different universes – a multiverse. Perhaps there are even as many different universes as there are different possibilities. But I'd like to think that some things work out no matter which universe we're talking about. I'd like to think that there are some constants amidst the endless oceans of chance and probability._

_Above all, I want to believe that love is one of those constants – kindred spirits will find each other, one way or another._

_You've seen Fang and Lightning fall in love a thousand times before, and you've seen them raise two wonderful daughters. This story is not a new story so much as it is a variation of a theme. _

_Love will always finds a way, even if sometimes it takes a little longer and involves a few more bumps along the road. _

**Not Quite Ordinary Heroes**

It was far from the first time that Lightning had been called in to discuss Averia's behaviour at school, and she doubted it would be the last. Her daughter had a knack for finding trouble. But after another long day of work as a Guardian Corps training sergeant, another discussion with the school's principal was the absolute last thing that she wanted to do. No, she'd much rather be at home, crashing on the couch and watching over Averia as she did her homework.

But if it was for Averia, she could – and would – do anything.

Lightning strode briskly down the corridor toward Principal Trepe's office, well aware of the stares she was getting. She hadn't had time to change out of her uniform, so the garment was still dusty from the training ground and her gun blade was still in its holster. As she neared the principal's office, she took a deep breath to steady herself and nodded at the secretary. The silver-haired young woman nodded back, her single crimson eye softening slightly. Lightning had been called in so often that the two of them were almost on a first name basis.

When Lightning opened the door and stepped into the principal's office, Averia was the first thing she saw. Her daughter's scowl was an almost perfect mirror of her own expression. Their eyes met for a moment before Averia looked away, and Lightning saw an awkward mix of shame and stubbornness. Averia must have realised how much trouble she was in, even if she'd never admit it.

Lightning's gaze shifted to the blonde woman on the other side of the table. Quistis didn't look angry so much as frustrated. Averia was an excellent student and athlete, but her behaviour had seen her dragged into Quistis's office far too many times. Lightning sighed, and then turned her attention to the other two people in the room.

Sitting next to Averia was one of the smallest children that Lightning had ever seen at the school. She had to be a first grader, but even so, she was a tiny, ragamuffin of a girl, all spiky, dark hair and vivid blue eyes. Due to her diminutive stature, her scowl was more adorable than menacing, and what little threat she was able to exude was utterly undone by all the dried mud that clung onto her clothing. Sitting next to her was a woman, her mother most likely since the resemblance was unmistakable.

Lightning had to fight not to stare.

The features that seemed so cute on the little girl had been matured by time and experience into a face that was nothing short of striking. The woman was tall too. Lightning was used to being the tallest woman in a room, but this woman had to be an inch or two taller than her. Her skin was tanned, and the calluses on her hands spoke of a life of hard work.

The other woman's clothing was another giveaway. The style of sari she wore was only common amongst the Yun. That alone was not unusual. It had been several decades since Gran Pulse and Cocoon had negotiated a peace treaty. In that time, several jointly administered settlements had been established – New Bodhum was one of them.

What truly stood out to Lightning was the woman's posture. She seemed almost to slouch in her chair, but Lightning had trained too many soldiers to not notice all the subtle signs of a warrior. The woman's arms were lean and toned, and the frame beneath the sari seemed ready to explode into motion at a moment's notice. There was also a spear resting against the wall nearby, and upon closer inspection, the patterns woven onto the woman's sari were those that only the most skilled warriors of the Yun were allowed to wear.

In another world, Lightning probably would have faced this woman on the battlefield.

Then the woman turned and flashed her a roguish grin. Clearly, this wasn't her first time in Quistis's office either. Without even realising it, Lightning grinned back. At least she wouldn't have to face Quistis's ire alone.

"It's good that you're here, Lightning." Quistis reached up to adjust her glasses and then gestured at the remaining seat. "I tried calling her other mother but…"

"She's at a conference on Cocoon." Lightning was surprised by how calm her voice was. "If you ever need to speak to someone about Averia, you should call me."

"Of course. Please have a seat."

Lightning sat. Beside her, Averia fidgeted and reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. It was a habit she'd gotten from her other mother although her lack of glasses made the gesture seem somewhat odd. "What happened this time?"

The little girl beside Averia giggled at "this time" only to fall silent as Quistis turned and narrowed her eyes. Mischievous or not, the girl knew better than to muck around with the dreaded principal.

"It was another fight." Quistis folded her hands on top of the table. "She gave another girl a black eye."

The little girl jumped to her feet on the chair, the chair wobbling precariously until her mother reached out to steady it. "That's not fair! That girl was picking on me and –"

"Diana." Quistis's voice snapped out like a whip, and Diana slumped back into her chair with a frown. More gently this time, Quistis added, "Let me explain things first, and then you can tell everyone your side of the story. Okay?"

"Yes, Ms Trepe."

"From what I understand," Quistis began. "Diana here was playing with several of her friends from first grade when some of the older girls came by. I believe they said something nasty to her, and there may even have been a push or two involved. Then Diana threw mud at them." Another narrowing of Quistis's eyes stifled Diana's giggle. "The older girls then decided that it would be appropriate to throw Diana into the mud puddle."

Lightning raised one eyebrow. That was a little extreme, wasn't it? But it would also explain all the mud on Diana.

"Apparently, Averia saw what was happening and intervened." Quistis took a deep breath. "I appreciate Averia's intentions. Bullying is not something that I tolerate at this school, and you may rest assured that I've already dealt quite severely with the older girls." She nodded at Diana's mother. "But punching another girl in the face hard enough to give her a black eye before knocking another two girls to the ground is simply not acceptable behaviour."

"I see." Lightning wasn't sure whether she should be proud that her daughter had remembered everything she'd taught her about self-defence or horrified that she'd shown no hesitation at all in using it. Was that normal?

"I hope you do." Quistis tapped her fingers on her desk. "All right. Diana, why don't you tell us what happened so that we have your side of the story?"

Diana's account was one the strangest, most rambling things that Lightning had ever heard. She almost got a headache trying to follow it. From what little she could decipher, Diana and her friends had gone from spending time with the class hamster to chasing a curious squirrel up a tree before going over to a puddle of mud and poking it with sticks to determine its quality as a "legitimate mud puddle".

As Diana recounted the incident with the older girls, her vocabulary grew increasingly elaborate. The older girls had, it seemed, made very cruel remarks about her heritage which made them "servants of detestable villainy" and Averia was "awesomely amazing" for punching them in the face and teaching them a lesson.

Quistis rubbed her temples – a gesture Lightning was hard-pressed not to mimic. "Fang, does Diana watch that new show that all the kids like?"

Diana's mother – Fang – gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of her head. "You mean the one where all those kids can transform into superheroes under the guidance of a crazy, orange gorgonopsid? What was it called again? Yeah, that's right, Gary's Galactic Heroes. Yeah, she loves it."

"That would explain how she described the situation then." Quistis shuddered. "I was unfortunate enough to watch one of the episodes last week while helping with after school care. The show was filled with talk of 'servants of detestable villainy' and 'awesomely amazing' heroes. The show talks about a lot of good things – the value of hard work, the virtues of team work, and the importance of school – but all the children ever remember is all the punching and kicking."

Averia's account of events was much simpler and straight to the point. Lightning was proud of her daughter for communicating in such a mature, intelligent manner. However, Averia's brutally frank assessment of the other girls' fighting abilities was not helping. It didn't matter if the other girls had horrible punching technique – Averia should have held back more.

"Look," Quistis said. "This is Averia's third fight this year. She's a wonderful student and a gifted athlete. She has a bright future ahead of her, but she was to improve her behaviour. If this keeps happening, I won't have any choice but to expel her."

Averia paled, and her hands tightened on the arms of her chair. Next to her, Diana looked like she wanted to jump over the table at Quistis.

"Quistis –" Lightning leaned forward.

"I don't want to expel her Lightning, but I won't have any other choice if this keeps happening. It has to stop. Okay?"

Lightning leaned back and looked at Averia. Her daughter looked away. "It won't happen again, Quistis. I'll deal with it."

"Good." Quistis stood and so did Fang and Lightning. "These two already know what their punishments are – it's detention for both of them. That should be enough for now, but I need to see an improvement in their behaviour. No more fighting. No more throwing mud."

"All right." Lightning turned on her heels. "Let's go, Averia."

Outside the principal's office, Lightning walked down the corridor with Averia in tow. She knew she should say something, but she wasn't sure what to say. She'd never been very good with words, and Averia had inherited not only her temper but also Jihl's as well. Sometimes it worried her how ruthless Averia could be.

Jihl had been the same way, but Averia did have a much firmer sense of justice. As much as Lightning had once loved Jihl, she knew that the other woman's morals were much more flexible than her own. However, before she and Averia could get far, Fang tapped her on the shoulder. The green-eyed woman was grinning.

"You're Lightning, right? I'm Diana's mom. Uh… your kid kind of got in trouble looking after mine, so I was wondering if I could pay you back somehow?"

"Averia has a nose for trouble, and she dislikes people who pick on those smaller than themselves."

"Diana's got a nose for trouble too." Fang smiled again. "At least let me buy you coffee, okay? I've been here a few times myself. Quistis is nice, but not when she's in principal mode."

"That's true." Lightning weighed up the offer. She was very tired, and a coffee sounded wonderful. "All right then. I could use some coffee."

"Good. I know just the place."

Coffee was an interesting affair. They had it at an out-of-the-way café with a large garden. Lightning ordered the strongest coffee she could, as did Fang. For her part, Diana was content to order a slice of cake that looked almost as big as she was. Averia ordered the same thing – she'd inherited both Lightning's sweet tooth and her metabolism.

As she and Fang talked, Lightning watched Diana out of the corner of her eye. The little girl practically inhaled her cake before turning increasingly hungry eyes on Averia's. To Lightning's shock, her daughter actually offered Diana some of hers. That was incredible. Averia never shared her cake unless she had to.

Fang followed her gaze and laughed. It was a nice sound, warm and rich. "I am so sorry about that. I don't even know where Diana puts it all. I swear, she eats a tonne, but she never seems to grow. She must burn all of it off running around like a headless chicken."

"She is a little bit small." Lightning's lips twitched. Diana was tiny. "I'm surprised though since you're even taller than I am."

Fang waved one hand. "Size doesn't matter that much – she's got enough fight for fifty people in her." Fang chuckled as Diana adopted a slower approach to her newly gained cake in a desperate attempt to make it last. "So… I'm guessing you're with the Guardian Corps. What do you do as one of New Bodhum's finest?"

"I'm a training sergeant." Lightning shrugged and sipped her coffee. "It's the only position that let's me spend as much time as I need with Averia. My superior officer has known me since I was a cadet – he's been very understanding."

"Ah." Fang's eyes filled with sympathy. "I'm actually in animal control. There are a lot of ranches and houses at the edges of New Bodhum that need help with the local critters. I used to be a huntress but…"

"You can't do that with a child." Lightning had met several hunters and huntresses. They had been some of her finest cadets. Hunting was a risky profession, but it paid well. It also meant weeks in the field – weeks that someone like Fang could not afford, given her status as a single parent. Lightning was the same in a way. She'd turned down promotion after promotion to keep her flexible working hours. She was lucky that her superior officer, General Amodar, had done his best to increase her pay over the years anyway.

But it was a sacrifice that she'd made willingly. Jihl had chosen to pursue her career and had risen quickly through the ranks. Lightning could have done the same, but who would have looked after Averia then? Still, Jihl did visit as often as she could. Although things between them hadn't worked out, they both loved Averia.

"You know," Fang said quietly as the two kids went off to play in the garden outside. "Diana has actually told me a lot about Averia. She makes her sound like the… playground enforcer."

"She hates bullies – she always has. Nothing gets her angrier than seeing someone big pick on someone small just because they can." Lightning sighed. "She almost never throws the first punch, but she always makes sure she throws the last one."

"That's how Diana met her the first time." Fang smiled softly. "Diana has a habit of getting into trouble. She was on the run from some big kids when she bumped into Averia. Averia protected her, and they've been friends ever since."

"I didn't know that." Lightning's gut clenched. "Averia… she doesn't talk very much about school." And the report cards didn't help either: intelligent, athletic, has trouble making new friends.

"You don't talk all that much either, you know." There was a hint of teasing in Fang's voice.

Lightning bit back a smile. It was true. "I guess."

A happy shout drew their attention as Averia staggered back inside with Diana clinging onto her back.

"We'd better go get them before they break anything." Fang got up. "So, uh, yeah. It was nice talking to you. Maybe we could go out for coffee again some time?"

"Oh." Lightning didn't have time for friends in between juggling her job and her daughter. At least she had Serah and Snow to help with that, along with a few others like the Estheims. "Um… sure."

"Great." Fang's eyes widened as Averia spun, somehow managing to dodge around a table with Diana swinging around off her back. "Let me get your number before you go."

On the way home, Lightning asked Averia about Diana.

"So, why didn't you tell me that you and Diana were friends?"

"It's school stuff. That's all. Besides, you always told me to stick up for people that need help."

"I understand that." Lightning tried to keep the hurt out of her voice. "But I wish you would tell me these things. You're my daughter. I love you, and I want to know what's going on in your life."

Averia bit her lip. "I love you too, mom, but you're always so busy, and I don't want to make things harder for you." She shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. "And Diana's nice. She's a bit weird, but she doesn't try to suck up to me or talk behind my back. She just wants to have fun and talk about silly things. Sometimes… sometimes it's nice to talk about silly things. I like Claire and Yuna – they're my best friends – but it's not the same with them. Diana… Diana gets me somehow."

"Okay." Lightning steered the car toward home. "I'm not mad. By the way, your mother is coming over for dinner tomorrow."

"She is?" Averia straightened. "But I thought she was on Cocoon for a conference?"

"She is, but she'll be leaving it a day early. That way she can drop by for dinner before heading over to her next assignment." Lightning put on a smile. She and Jihl had managed to patch things up well enough to get along over dinner. They would never be able to take back the things they'd said and done, but they'd learned to put those past differences aside for Averia's sake. Jihl might be a career-obsessed jerk, but she did love Averia.

"Do you think you two could make that really awesome pasta that I like?"

"I'm sure we could." Lightning's hands tightened on the steering wheel. That pasta had been a special thing, something she and Jihl always made on Averia's birthday. It was a reminder of simpler, happier times. "I'll ask her."

X X X

Lightning found herself having coffee with Fang on a regular basis. It was easy because Diana and Averia got along so well. It eased some of the worry in Lightning's heart to see her stoic daughter mucking around like a little girl instead of a miniature adult, and she would have been lying if she said that Diana's antics didn't amuse her. Getting Averia to pretend to be her chocobo was an act of supreme craftiness on Diana's part, one that involved a great deal of pouting, begging, and old-fashioned stubbornness.

It was also wonderful to be able to talk to someone who understood her situation so well. Serah was a great sister, and after a rocky start she'd really warmed up to Snow, but they were together. So although she was deeply grateful for all of their help – they looked after Averia whenever she needed a break, and their daughter, Claire, was Averia's best friend – they couldn't understand her the way that Fang did. Fang was a single parent. She knew all about long, sleepless nights worrying about whether or not she was a good parent or how she would make ends meet.

Along the way, Lightning got to know another side of her daughter. Averia had inherited her demeanour in many ways – cool, stoic, and aloof – and she was also near the top of her school in grades and athletics. But she put a lot of people off with how cold she could be, and she'd inherited some of Jihl's less pleasant traits as well. Averia could, when she put her mind to it, be very good at putting on a mask and manipulating people.

However, Diana was cheerful enough for the both of them and talkative enough for ten people. No matter how down Averia was, Diana could always coax a smile out of her. And despite her seemingly innocent nature, Diana had a gift for seeing right through any of Averia's attempts at deception. It wasn't long before Averia stopped trying to hide parts of herself away – Diana was someone who would never judge her or think less of her. Diana liked her exactly the way she was. It was unconditional friendship of a kind that Lightning had rarely seen.

Little by little, Fang and Diana were making themselves part of Lightning and Averia's life. She didn't even realise how much until, months later, she looked off her porch to find Diana clinging onto Averia's back while screaming about how the older girl should prepare for her "chokehold of ultimate doom".

Lightning stared, frozen, as she realised that this was the third time this week that Fang and Diana had dropped by for afternoon tea. She'd even met Fang's younger sister, Vanille, who, in one of those weird twists of fate, was actually an old friend of Serah's that had come to New Bodhum to help develop better Guardian Corps equipment. The zany redhead was Diana's favourite aunt, and she had quickly resumed her friendship with Serah before turning the full force of her sunny personality on Lightning and Averia as well. There were times when Lightning was almost tempted to cover her eyes, Vanille's and Diana's smile were that bright when they were together.

"They look like they're having fun." Fang came out onto the porch and handed Lightning the cup of coffee she'd made. Lightning took it, only to nearly drop it as she realised that Fang had been over enough times to memorise the layout of her kitchen. "I guess it's a good thing that Diana's super move isn't as deadly as she thinks it is."

"She calls it a super move?" Lightning chuckled.

"She likes video games. One of her friends, Yuffie, got a new one recently where all the characters have super finishing moves and stuff."

"Ah."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a while, watching Diana grapple against Averia with little success. The front gate opened and Claire, who lived next door, saw the struggling duo. Her eyes lit up, and she charged in, making it a three-way battle for supremacy. The trio hit the ground in a tangle of limbs.

"I never did ask you," Fang murmured. "But who is Averia's other mother?" Lightning stiffened, and Fang winced. "Uh, sorry, I just thought, well, you never mention her and…"

"It's okay." Lighting ran one hand through her hair. "It… we get along now, but it was an ugly divorce. Averia… she was young, but she's always been smart. She understood enough to realise that things would never be the same." She glanced over to make sure that the three girls were too caught up in their game to overhear. They were. Claire was now helping Diana defeat Averia. "Do you know General Jihl Nabaat?"

"Know her?" Fang grinned. "I've had to deal with her a few times. She might be the youngest general ever, but she's kind of a – oh!"

"Yes, oh." Lightning's lips curved up into a ghost of a smile. "Jihl wasn't always like that. She was… she was softer once. We were in the same class at the academy. I graduated number one, and she graduated number two. We fell in love and got married. I decided to pass up on promotions to look after Averia, but as Jihl started getting promoted… she started to change."

"She chose her career over you and Averia." Fang's hand tightened around her coffee cup.

"She did." Lightning took a sip of her coffee. In front of them, Diana had just leapt at Averia. The two went down in a heap before Claire sat on top of them both and proclaimed herself the ultimate victor. "Don't get me wrong, the two of us… we don't feel the same way about each other anymore, but Jihl loves Averia as much as she can love anything. She visits whenever she has the time, and she's never missed a child support payment or anything like that. But Jihl has always dreamed of having a career. When we realised that things were falling apart, she let me have Averia because she understood that I could look after her better. That's why I'm still a training sergeant."

"Do you… ever regret it?"

Lightning shook her head. "No. I knew exactly what I was doing when I passed up my promotions to look after Averia. Maybe there is some other world where I was able to be a general and Averia's mother, but I'm happy with what I have. Averia comes first for me, she always has. How about you?"

Fang gazed into her coffee. "I was married to one of my clanswomen. She… she passed away."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Fang bit her lip. "It happened when she was giving birth to Diana. It's not much, but at least Diana never had to deal with the pain of losing a parent. I'm the only parent she's ever known."

Lightning watched Diana and the others play. An alarm on her phone went off. She stood. "Dinner should be ready soon."

"That's great." Fang stood as well. "Thanks for having us over."

"It's no problem." Lightning was surprised by just how much she meant the words. "I like having you two over."

X X X

Months passed, and Fang and Diana started spending half their nights over for dinner or afternoon tea. Lightning began to find some of their things scattered around the house: one of Diana's mittens, one of Fang's jackets, and a sari that Fang had left there after she'd gotten caught in the rain. Diana even spent a few nights over when Fang had to spend a few days at work and Vanille was out of town. Fang returned the favour later, looking after Averia when Lightning had to lead a field exercise.

One year after meeting Fang for the first time, Lightning and Fang were sitting on her porch, watching the sun go down as Diana and Averia watched television in the living room with Claire.

"I'm thinking of getting a new place," Fang said. "The apartment I've got is a bit small now that Diana is getting older, and it would be nice to live a little closer since she spends so much time here and her friends are nearby too."

Lightning glanced back into her house. Diana had, somehow, convinced Averia to let her sit on her lap. On the floor nearby was one of Diana's hats – it had been there for a week. Then her mind wandered to the house itself, to the spare guestrooms that she and Jihl had added but never used. Single parent living could be expensive…

"Why don't you live here?" Lightning asked quietly. "We've got two spare bedrooms, and you already here often enough."

Fang was utterly stunned, one of the few times that Lightning could ever remember seeing her that way. "I… uh… you don't have to –"

"No, but I want to." Lightning reached over and took Fang's hand. "You're my friend, and Diana and Averia are friends too. We can help each other this way."

"All right." Fang smiled, eyes a little watery. "In that case, we'll be happy to move in. But I insist on splitting all of the expenses."

"We can do that." Lightning grinned. "Do you want to tell them, or should I?"

The girls took the news well. Averia was glad to have another one of her friends around, and Diana was overjoyed to have another friend nearby plus a big house and garden of her own to live in. She even started staking out a more permanent spot on the couch.

Fang and Diana moved in on a rainy morning, and the four of them soon fell into a routine. The house was every bit as big as before, but it no longer seemed as empty or quiet or cold. Even Jihl noticed the difference.

"You're happier," Jihl whispered, one night when she was over for dinner. As a courtesy, Fang had taken Diana to see the ranch where she worked. Averia was in the dining room gathering the dishes.

"Am I?"

Jihl's eyes widened, and she laughed. "You still don't get it do you?" She leaned over and kissed Lightning gently. "Just don't let her make the same mistake I did. I should have chosen you and Averia, but it's too late for that now. Maybe it was always too late for me."

"Jihl…"

"It's okay. We were happy for a while, and you still let me see Averia. She's happier now than she ever was when it was just the three of us." Jihl blinked back a hint of moisture from her eyes. "Come on, let's go help Averia gather the dishes."

X X X

Another year went by, and Diana had her birthday party in the back yard. When it was time for her to have a picture with her family, she dragged Lightning and Averia into the picture too. Neither of the two girls understood what a big deal it was, but locking gazes with Fang over the top of their kids' heads, it was clear that the two women understood.

Fang became Lightning's best friend, and the two of them spent long afternoons on the porch talking and watching the neighbourhood settle after a long day. They weren't always alone on those afternoons. Vanille was a frequent visitor, as were Serah and Snow. Bart, Nora, and Hope dropped by regularly too, along with the owner of the ranch were Fang did most of her work. Sazh Katzroy was a kind, warm man that Diana had adopted for her grandfather. It didn't hurt that he also owned her favourite chocobo, a wonderfully friendly chocobo named Chirpy who sometimes tagged along, settling down under the tree on the front lawn and letting the kids fawn over him.

But Lightning could never quite understand the secretive looks her friends shared when they looked at her and Fang. She only understood when, one day, Fang kissed her on the cheek. It was a chaste kiss, a thank you for Lightning taking Diana to the movies with Averia on a day when Fang had to work late. But it was done so naturally – and it felt so right – that Lightning couldn't help but wonder what it would have felt like if Fang had kissed her lips instead.

When they finally did kiss each other's lips, it was clumsy. They were on their own, talking after another long day, and Fang went to kiss her on the cheek again. Only Lightning turned her head at the exact right time and before they knew it, one kiss became another and another.

It was three more months before they slept together for the first time. It was awkward – it had been a long time for both of them – but it was good, and the next time was even better. Lightning worried for two months about how the girls would take the change in her and Fang's relationship before realising that everything would be fine.

How couldn't it be when Averia played soccer with Fang in the front yard like it was something they'd been doing for years? How couldn't it be when Diana came to her after a bad dream and called her "mom"?

Really, she should have realised it the first time that Diana flopped down onto the couch next to Averia like she belonged there, or maybe she should have realised it the first time she and Fang talked until long after the sun had set.

Her family was a patchwork one, but it was a family all the same.

Fang and Diana had moved in on a rainy morning. Lightning and Fang married on a sunny spring afternoon. And for the first time in what felt like forever, everything felt like it was exactly how it was supposed to be.

X X X

**Omake – Family Bonds**

Averia glanced up from her sandwich as Diana ran up to her in a huff.

"Is it true that you told some of the older kids that I'm not your step-sister?" The younger girl's eyes were watery.

Averia put her sandwich down. "Yes."

"But –"

"I told them you're my sister." Averia shrugged. "Not my step-sister – my sister." Her lips twitched. "I hope that – oof!"

Averia flopped onto her back as Diana tackled her to the ground, laughing and crying at the same time.

"You are best and the worst big sister ever!"

X X X

**Author's Notes**

As always, I neither own Final Fantasy, nor am I making any money off of this.

This chapter is based on Fangrai Forever Prompt #210: How about an AU where Lightning and Fang meet for the very first time when their children end up at the same school? They can be single mothers/divorcees/widows/whatever else makes sense.

If you read the fine print of the prompt, you'll notice that this is actually one of the prompts that I submitted (yes, I do submit some from time to time!). It may be a little weird to fill my own prompt, but since no one else was doing anything with it, I thought I'd give it a stab.

_Ordinary Heroes_ is one of my oldest Final Fantasy XIII stories, and I'd by lying if I said I wasn't attached to it. So I wanted to get this story, which is heavily inspired by it, right. There are obviously a few major differences: Fang and Lightning didn't meet until much later, and each of them is a single parent than has been previously married.

But as sad as that situation may seem, I wanted to try and get across some of the sweetness of _Ordinary Heroes_ as Fang and Lightning fall in love and make a family together. The section at the start was a way of trying to set the mood and tone: bittersweet at the start but sweet at the end.

Of course, the children are a driving force in this story. Diana is still Diana and Averia is still Averia, but with a few changes. This is most obvious in Averia. Having been old enough and smart enough to understand her parents' divorce, she's definitely been affected by it. She's also inherited a few of Jihl's less pleasant qualities. But Diana being the cheerful, little buzz saw that she is can simply cut right through all of that emotional armour.

If you like my writing, do check out my original fiction. You can find links to it in my profile. If you're a fan of fantasy, have a look at _The Last Huntress_. You won't be disappointed.

I will also be going in for surgery on my right knee tomorrow. Depending on how I feel afterward, it could be a few days before you hear back from me. If you want to know how I'm doing, my tumblr is the best way to find out.

As always, I appreciate feedback. Reviews and comments are welcome.


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